Icha Icha Paradise Volume 1: Friendship
by Nine-Tailed Saiyan
Summary: Life is as normal as it can get for Naruto Uzumaki. But by a twist of fate, he meets Hinata Hyuga at an early age. But is that the only thing that changes for him?
1. Key

I don't own Naruto. The great Masashi Kishimoto owns Naruto.

Note that the following is the guide for my writing. Please do not review on this page.

Talking

_Thinking/Letter writing_

_Nine-Tailed Fox talking_

**Nine-Tailed Fox – Naruto voice fusion**

_**Naruto - Minato voice fusion**_

**Spirit Talking/Jutsu/Yelling**

_/Flashback\_

_/End Flashback\_

(Explanation/Author's Note)

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Scene Change xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Empathized words


	2. Chapter 1: The Story Begins

Chapter 1: The Story Begins . . .

Many years ago, in the Village hidden in the Leaves, peace had reigned throughout this land. Until one fateful night . . .

A giant demon, known as the Nine-Tailed Fox, appeared in this village to wreak havoc upon its citizens. Its' long nine tailed lashed about, destroying trees and sending tidal waves crashing to the ground and crushing mountains. Many ninja gathered for the battle to protect their village from this fearsome demon. But none could match its strength. It kept coming closer. But, it suddenly stopped moving. It turned its head and its eyes rested upon a toad known as Gamabunta. As far as toads go, this one was quite strange. It was reddish-brown, wore a dark blue jacket, had a dagger in its belt, and was 100 feet tall. The Fox acknowledged Gamabunta's strength. Both fought for a while without showing any signs of weakness.

Meanwhile, on the ground, two shinobi were walking towards the Fox. One was an old man with long, white spiky hair. The other had blue eyes, spiky blond hair, and was holding something bundled up in a blanket.

"You're going to use that jutsu, aren't you, Minato?" asked the old man.

"I have no other choice, Jiraiya-sensei. It's the only way," answered Minato.

"You'll die if you do it," said Jiraiya.

"If my death is the only way to save my friends and my village, then so be it," said Minato.

"You're an honorable man, Minato Namikaze," said Jiraiya, "A brave leader, great friend, noble shinobi, excellent student, and a wise teacher. But don't you realize that if you go through with this, you'll be condemning this boy to a horrible future wrought with pain and misery?"

"People will come after him whether or not I do this. This way, he will have a little protection," replied Minato. "I'd better hurry up. Gamabunta looks like he won't last much longer." Indeed, things were looking grim for Gamabunta, owing to the fact that the Fox started to use its nine tails against him. Luckily, Gamabunta was dodging them, but just barely. "Master Jiraiya, I have two requests. The first is to train him and give him everything in my home when you think he's old enough," said Minato. He looked down at the bundle and said, "My other request is . . . . . . please take care of him."

"Of course I'll look after him. You don't even have to ask me that," said Jiraiya.

"Make sure he's ready," said Minato. "The Demon Wars have only begun."

The Fox seemed very puzzled, due to the fact that his opponent suddenly disappeared. _"Where are you!? Show me that you have some honor and come out and face me, you coward!"_ bellowed the Fox. He seems that the Fox had developed some respect for Gamabunta's power.

"Sensei, please tell Sarutobi that this boy is to be regarded as the hero of the village," said Minato. Jiraiya nodded in agreement. The killer intent that Minato was radiating when he looked at the Fox was enough for even the greatest shinobi to cower in fear, however the Fox didn't seem to notice. With his free hand, Minato made a complicated seal, and shouted something. Then, the Fox let out a blood-curdling howl/scream.

It fell to the ground, making a huge crater. All the ninja let alive in this battle began celebrating.

Jiraiya walked out of the forest with Minato in his arms and the bundle in his arms. Everyone seemed puzzled, wondering why the great Jiraiya was crying. He sat Minato on the ground and held the bundle in his arms. Then everyone realized the horrible truth: Minato was dead. The bundle in Jiraiya's arms let out a loud cry. Inside of this bundle was a baby, with blond hair, blue eyes, and three whisker-like scar on each cheek. He began to glow with a red aura. But then, as if in response to this aura, a strange seal appeared on his stomach and the aura died died away. But no one noticed this.

The great Fourth Hokage had died. But through this loss came a victory. The Fox had been defeated; not entirely however. Instead, the Fox's spirit and chakra had been sealed inside of this baby. One man died so that his village may live on. And the baby, even though he was used to contain the Fox's power, was hated by most of the vilagers. This baby is Naruto Uzumaki.

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Well? How was the beginning? If it seems crappy, sorry about that. It's my first time doing this. Please review. 


	3. Chapter 2: My Dream

Chapter 2: My Dream 

Three years have passed since that fateful day. The feelings that the villagers generate towards Naruto have not changed even in the slightest. Even more so, Naruto was kicked out of the orphanage that he lived in. That very night, a violent storm had erupted, and, with nowhere to go, Naruto had to sleep in an alley. The storm began to take its toll on Naruto. But before he faded from consciousness, he noticed an old man coming towards him, with a faint smell of tobacco.

When Naruto awoke, he noticed that he wasn't in the alley anymore. "Where am I?" he asked himself. "You are in my office, Naruto," said a voice. Naruto turned to where the voice was coming from to see an old man unfamiliar to him, wearing red and white robes, and has a tobacco pipe in his mouth. This man had gray hair with a gray goatee. He is signing papers. "You've been asleep for about a week now?"

"Who are you?" asked Naruto. "Me? I'm Sarutobi. But you can call me whatever you like."

"OK, Old Man," said Naruto, "Were you the one that I saw in the alley?"

"Yes, I was," answered Sarutobi, "I was told that you were kicked out of the orphanage, so I came to give you a new home." "Why would you do that?" asked Naruto. Never had anyone been so nice to him before. "Because you are a good kid. People should not hate someone who have done nothing wrong, Naruto Uzumaki," replied Sarutobi. "Well, that's very ni . . . wait, how'd you know who I was? I never said my name to you," said Naruto.

But before Sarutobi could say anything, a man came into the room. He wore black pants, a gray vest, a katana on his back, forearm guards, and a mask that looked like a dog. Above said mask, this man's hair was shown. It was silvery-white and slanted to the left. On his left shoulder was a tattoo. "Lord Hokage, Lady Hinata has been safely recovered and Lord Hiashi is ready to explain the situation," said the man. "Thank you, Kakashi," replied Sarutobi. After that, he left. "Naruto, I have a matter that needs my attention. I can't take you to your new home just yet. You'll have to accompany me until then," said Sarutobi as he left his desk. As they walked, many people greeted Sarutobi.

They were walking for a while before Naruto said, "Old Man, you sure do know a lot of people."

"Yes, it's part of my job as Hokage," replied Sarutobi. "Hokage?" asked Naruto

"Naruto, a Hokage is the greatest shinobi in the Hidden Leaf Village. It's . . . oh wait, we're here. I'll continue my explanation later," said Sarutobi as they approached a large complex. As they walked down many hallways, Naruto noticed something about everyone that they passed by. _"They all have the same lavender-colored eyes; everyone."_

Sarutobi went into a meeting room while Naruto waited outside of it. After a few hours, they both left to go to Naruto's new home. As they walked, Naruto received many glares and rude comments. Sarutobi noticed the sad look on Naruto's face and tried to comfort him. "Don't worry about what they think. Someday they'll respect you." "But why don't they like me? Is there something wrong with me?"

Desperate to change the subject, Sarutobi unwillingly fueled Naruto's greatest dreamed. "Naruto, you asked what a Hokage was, didn't you?" He nodded. "Well, a Hokage is the greatest shinobi in the Hidden Leaf Village. It's his/her duty to distribute missions, handle any disputes in the village, and protect the village and its citizens. This job has a tremendous amount of responsibility and is the greatest honor in the village. With it, you earn a great amount of respect, not only in the Land of Fire, but in the other Lands as well." Naruto's jaw dropped at all this information. Very soon, they arrived at Naruto's new apartment. "Don't worry about paying for this. I talked to the landlord about it. And don't worry, they will respect you someday." Then he left, but not before giving Naruto a warm hug; the kind that your grandfather gives when he just saw you after a long time.

When Naruto entered his new apartment, only one thing was running through his mind. Not that he has a new home, or that he found someone that doesn't hate him with a passion. No, only this: _" 'A great amount of respect.' Well then, I'll do just that. I'll become Hokage. And not just any Hokage, but the greatest Hokage there ever was!"_


	4. Sorry

Sorry for not updating for awhile now. I have writer's block on how to make the next chapter fit.

Next chap. should be up soon.

Also, if you would, please give an explanation on all those suffixes on the names, like "-kun", "-chan", "-sama".


	5. Sad Yet Happy Eyes

Sorry for the wait. It's finally here.

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Chapter 3: Sad Yet Happy Eyes

Yet another three years has passed. The day of the Uchiha massacre had come. Naruto decided to take a stealthy tour through the various districts of the village. He was just about to enter the Uchiha district when a man ran into him, knocking Naruto flat on his butt. He got up to see that he ran into an Anbu with red eyes. "Itachi! What are you doing out here so late?"

Indeed, it was Itachi Uchiha, fresh from his killing spree. "Oh, Naruto. I, uh, have to go on a mission. No idea when I'll be back." "Can I come?"

The thought of Naruto becoming an S-rank missing-nin pierced Itachi's heart. Naruto was one of the few people who understood him and could tell him everything. Well, almost everything. Naruto had been more of a brother to Itachi than Sasuke was. "No, Naruto. This is a mission that I have to take up on my own." A look of pure sadness appeared on Naruto's face. "Hey, on my way out, I thought I heard something in that alley over there. Could you go check it out for me?" "Sure!" Naruto ran off to a nearby alley.

"I'm sorry, Naruto, but you can't follow my path. It would probably do more harm than good. It's better you remain here and prove to these villagers that you are the container, and not the demon." After that, Itachi disappeared into the night, unaware that the next time he and Naruto would meet, it would be on unfriendly terms.

Naruto had entered the alley when he heard what sounded like sniffling. At the end of the alley was a small girl in a corner. "Are you okay?" The girl raised her head to reveal the face of a little girl, about Naruto's age, with lavender eyes.

"Hi, I'm Naruto." "I-I-I'm Hinata." "Hey, do you live in that huge house in the, uh, Hyuga district?" "Y-y-yes, I do. Why do you a-a-ask?"

"You have the same eyes as they do. I think they're cool."

"Really? He likes my eyes. Thank you." "Come on. I'll walk you home" They walked for awhile, talking about whatever they wanted. "So, why were you crying in that alley?" "My father yelled at me, saying that I won't become anything useful at the rate I'm going." "Well, in my opinion, a father should not say something like to his child."

"W-what would your father say?" "I have no idea. He died in the Nine-Tailed Fox attack. As did my mother." "Oh, I'm so sorry."

"Don't be. They died to help the village live on." "So why did you come to that alley?" "I wanted to get to know the layout of the village better. After all, I'm going to be Hokage someday."

They both talked for what seemed like hours, enjoying each other's company. Eventually, they arrived at the Hyuga Compound. "Well, this is where I leave. See you later." A harsh voice echoed throughout that area, saying, "Where have you been?" Hinata and Naruto turned to see that the voice came from Hiashi Hyuga. "Did you bring her back, boy?" "Yes, sir."

A storm erupted. Rain poured down like none before. "Well, I should get going. Good-bye," said Naruto. He hadn't moved 3 feet when Hiashi said, "Why don't you stay the night? You shouldn't walk through this rain." "Thank you, sir, but I have a place of my own. It isn't necessary."

"First of all, call me Hiashi. Second, it's the least I can do. We were just setting down for dinner. I wouldn't mind having another guest. And I'm sure Hinata wouldn't mind either. Would you mind, Hinata?" Hinata eagerly agreed with her father and brought Naruto into the house. "I haven't seen her that happy in a long time. Perhaps this is what Hinata needs to motivate her." Hiashi soon followed the children into the house. Meanwhile, a man in a black cloak stood ontop of a nearby building, observing this scene. "So he's the one. Let's see how he develops." And he disappeared into the night. As did the rain.

They all sat at the table and a beautifully prepared dinner. Hiashi eventually began to question Naruto. "So, Naruto, what do you want to do when you're older?"

His answer didn't even require a second of thinking. "Become a great Hokage." "Well that's a high dream. Do you think you can measure up to our great 4th Hokage?" "That's what I aim to do."

"Well, every Hokage has to start somewhere. Go to the Academy next week. Hinata should be starting around that time. It's good to start school with people you know." Expecting a response, Hiashi was disappointed that Naruto said nothing. "Is something wrong?"

"Academy rules for signing up sate that you need a parent to sign you in." "And I take it that you don't have any parents." "Yes, Hiashi sir."

"Well that just won't do. Tell you what; I'll pull some strings and get you into the Academy." This completely shocked Hinata. "Why is he being so nice to Naruto? Every other boy I've met has never talked to me again once they met father."

"Thank you, Hiashi. If there is anything I can do to pay you back, . . ." but Hiashi cut him off before he could complete his sentence. "Don't bother. Think of it as a reward for helping Hinata get home." Afterwards, they all went to bed. And for the first time in his life, Naruto felt like he belonged.

The next morning, Naruto departed from the Hyuga Compound, but not before saying goodbye to his new friends. "Thank you Hiashi-sama. What you've done for me means a great deal. See you later. Bye Hinata." And he ran off.

"Bye, Naruto-kun."

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So what do you think? Please review. And watch out for another story that I'm in the process of making: "Revival of the Heart." 


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